SHANGHAI, China, March 21, 2006 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- WuXi PharmaTech announced today that its new animal facility has been approved by The Shanghai Administration Office of Laboratory Animal. This represents an important strategic expansion of PharmaTech's interest in the biological service sector.

Located in the company's research campus in WaiGaoQiao Free Trade Zone in Shanghai, the 3,300 sq. ft. fully GLP compliant animal facility features individually ventilated cages (IVC) in a double barrier environment. With the establishment of the animal facility, WuXi PharmaTech can now provide a full range of biological assays including toxicology, pharmacokinetic and bioscreening, in addition to WuXi PharmaTech's current chemistry, bioanalytical and manufacturing capabilities.

"I am very pleased that our animal facility has passed the regulatory approval. There is much demand in the service biology area. Biological assays compliment our current chemistry capabilities and can bring more value to our partners," commented Angela Wong, the newly appointed vice president of service biology.

About WuXi PharmaTech

Founded in 2001, the Shanghai-based WuXi PharmaTech Co., Ltd., is the leader in the pharmaceutical R&D services industry in China. WuXi PharmaTech assists global pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies in shortening the cycle and lowering the cost of drug research and development, and helps clients fully leverage the lower cost R&D capacity in China.